All the mainline games are not interconnected at all, they are pretty much very separate in terms of story / settings / characters. So you can jump into any one of the games. Also, their turn-based systems, aka Active Time Battle, aren’t anything interesting, compared to say Shin Megami Tensei’s Press Turn system. All FF games have very linear / streamlined experience compared to other games, i.e. choices don’t matter much, you don’t choose the stats, equipments are streamlined.

Here’s some overview:

• First 6 games were 2D games, the best of those bunches are Final Fantasy 6. Great story, great villain, great music
• original FF7 is the one popularized the JRPG genre, and probably broke the base between older 2D fans and newcomers. It has memorable characters, music, story about eco-terrorism. The gameplay revolves around materia system, it’s like logic system where say if you connect Fire magic with All-effect and 2x-effect, you can casts double Fire magic that hits every enemies, etc. FF7 Crisis Core is one of the best FF spinoffs out there, while FF7 Remake is a ‘remake’. It’s advised that you finished the original FF7 before playing those two.
• FF8 also broke the base. The game is more romance-centric in some way, but still sci-fi. The gameplay revolves around junction / draw system, where you draw magic from enemies to junction it to your stats.
• FF9 is kinda back to original game. It’s more high-fantasy setting, and was released during the end of PS1. It wasn’t as popular as FF7 or FF8, but there are definitely fans. I had hard time getting into it, because the animation is kinda slow, but maybe I should replay the HD version
• FFX is very well received, it’s a sci-fi romance story that takes place in south east Asian-like tropical islands. The first FF game on PS2. FFX has a sequel, FFX-2, which is also well received
• FF11 is MMO, I don’t play MMO, so I have no idea about it.
• FF12 is great, it’s more political than usual FF games, because it’s written by Matsuno, who made Tactics Ogre and FF Tactics. The gameplay is bit weird, bit MMO like.
• FF13 was not well received, the only mainline FF game on PS3. It spawned two other games FFX-2 and FFX Lightning Returns. The main complaint about FF13 was that the story was incomprehensible, the game is very linear, and the battle mechanics is very confusing. I think what happened is that
  • they used tons of opaque in-game terms (Fal’ Cie, La’ Cie), that’s barely explained until very late in the game.
  • the game also opens up very late, there’s a one large wide region for you to roam around and engage in enemy encounters, but they only give it to you very late in the game
  • the combat wasn’t explained clearly, the paradigm shift system is actually fun, and a step up from ATB
  • annoying characters, they focused too much on Hope and Snow. Hope is a whiny child, but he’s a child, so it’s ok. Snow on the other hand, is just an annoying character who likes to talk about himself.
• FF14 is another MMO, I don’t touch MMO
• FF15 is kind of a mess, it was in development hell. I like the roadtrip story, where you just drive around. The open world is bit sparse and serves mostly for enemy encounters. One of the main issue is that some of the stories are gated behind DLCs. The gameplay is bit more weirder than normal ATBs. I like this game, but not as much as others.
• FF16 is great. Devil May Cry combat, very streamlined and nicely paced story, those huge spectacle Asura’s Wrath-esque battles, etc. This game is my current GOTY.

There are other spinoff games, e.g. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, World of Final Fantasy, but they are mostly spinoffs, mostly for fans who want more after playing the mainline.

But there’s one that I want to recommend, and that’s Final Fantasy Tactics. It’s a strategy RPG and it’s amazing. There’s an updated version released on PSP, called Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, which is probably the one you should play.

There are rumor swirling around about FF9 and FF Tactics remakes, but can’t say anything until we see it.

Honestly, you can kind of pick up off of any mainline game and you won’t be lost, but if you just want a taste of the world/atmosphere it wouldn’t be bad to just try FF7 Remake. Fun game, imo.

What kind of games do you like to play?

Start with XVI. There’s a lot of buzz/conversation around it. I find that it’s such a great collective experience for movies and games when everyone is talking about it.

Then check out a game that interests you. All of the numbered games will be all inclusive. X and XII are my top suggestions, and very different from one another.

Some of the others are mildly related like Stranger of Paradise.

There’s no story throughline at all through any of the FF games, they’re all completely separate and you can literally play them in any order with no regard for anything. They only share vague concepts, relatively generic fantasy/sci-fi tropes, and a loosely followed compendium of creature types, spells, and races.

FF1 - Depending on your comfort level with 40 year old games I may recommend you check out the very first Final Fantasy on NES. It has a very slight story, you’re into the meat of the gameplay loop almost immediately and it introduces the most basic mechanics of the franchise. Playing the first game will also potentially give you some reference points for many concepts the games still follow today.

FF4 - An absolute classic SNES game. Unlike the original you’ll immediately notice this one has actual named characters with story arcs. Most all of the modern FF tropes are now in the game (active time battles, chocobos, summons, dragoons, etc)

FF6 - Arguably the best in the series. One of the best stories at least. This is the first one where they started introducing themes of technology. You’ll see Moogles. There’s miniganes. Gameplay still feels fresh to this day.

FF7 - They went deep into technomagic science stuff with this one. Being the first one on Playstation it’s 3D and filled to the brim with cutscenes. I doubt you heard of this game, it’s pretty unpopular /s

FF9 - I like this one because they went back to a high fantasy theme and it really perfected the PS1 style they had been going for since 7. Loveable characters too.

FF12 - Not counting the MMO, this is when they started experimenting with moving away from their classic turn-based combat system. The class and skill system, specifically in the Zodiac version, is very open ended. The story and tone is also much more political.

FF16 - From 12 I would jump straight to this one (unless you’re into MMORPGs with 14). 13 and 15 have their merits but don’t stand the test of time IMO. FF16 switches the FF formula up more than any other mainline game. It’s arguably not even an RPG but a Character Action game like DMC or Bayonetta. The story, though obviously heavily influenced by GoT, is squarely wrapped in Final Fantasy tropes from the last ~40 years.

Final Fantasy games have some similar themes/monsters/abilities/sometimes gameplay mechanics, however, except for some outliers, they all take place in separate worlds and have separate stories and worldbuilding.

They’re all decently long games so if you’re looking to play a few:

FF16 is the most recent and has good reviews. It plays more like an action game.

FF4 is my favorite. It was on the Super Nintendo but has a 3D remake on Steam. It plays like an old school JRPG.

FF6 is one of the most popular. It was on Super Nintendo. I believe it has a remaster on Steam. It plays like an old school JRPG but has one of the most lauded stories in games.

FF10 is another favorite of mine. It was on PS2. It has a remaster on steam. It plays like a newer school JRPG.

Try checking them out on Steam and seeing which one catches your eye

There’s no “final fantasy universe”. Every numbered entry (or its remake) is a good entry point. It’s not that each game tends to be somewhat separate from the series, each of the games is completely separate. They don’t share characters or even worlds. Some are high fantasy, some are almost sci-fi.

I’d recommend the FF7 Remake. It’s old enough for you to grab it at a cheaper price, and new enough to have pretty accessible game mechanics.

I’d start with 6 (sometimes referred to as 3 in the US). The writing is solid, there are plenty of choices to make and characters to play with, and it moves along nicely. You can put a bunch of time into maxing everyone out and grinding out the highest difficulty areas, but you don’t have to.

Great story, great characters, and one hell of a female lead especially considering the era it was released in.

I don’t have hundreds of hours

Don’t start with XIV then!

So what is the most recent game in the series that I can start with that is worth it to play and wouldn’t confuse a newcomer?

All of the FF games – baring the ones that are explicitly sequels, like X2 – are totally separate from each other, you can jump in anywhere. At most you might miss some references or easter eggs.

If you want the most recent then, that’d be XVI, although I’d personally recommend looking up what the gameplay is like in the different games and starting wherever you feel you’ll have the most fun! There are some weirder ones out there, like crystal chronicles (my own first final fantasy game) and tactics, so you have a lot of options!

The SNES FF games (FFs 4, 5, and 6) are all great, and the recent “Pixel Remaster” releases have brought them to current systems. If you can appreciate old school sprite graphics, start here!

They are completely disconnected, with the exception of the occasional spinoff or direct sequel, but those are easy to identify. The last game is probably the easier one of the series to pick up and play (this statement has been true for the whole existence of the series)

Where to start? Depends. Everyone of them is a huge game and a big time investment.

Taking into account you have no nostalgia for the series, I’d say your options, in order of what I think would stick are:

• Option 1: the last one. If you just want to play a modern action/rpg game with AAA sensibilities but weird enough, is not a bad option. You have no need for any previous knowledge, the gameplay is completely different to the one in previous entries, etc. Haven’t played so I do t know if it’s any good.
• Option 2: the 7 remake. One of the biggest milestones in the series retold for modern audiences, with updated graphics and narrative.
• Option 3: 16bit retro experience: FFVI, SNES or GBA version. The pinnacle of the formula for the 8 and 16 bit consoles. Upcoming titles in the series are way different. Great in every way a game can be good.
• Option 4: the 7 vanilla. The first international massive mainstream success for the series and one of the more influential video games in history. After this one, if you loved it:
  • Option 4a: the PSX trilogy. Go for FFVIII and FFIX for the full pre-render backgrounds and 3d models god killing trio.
  • Option 4b: the complication. If you are really into the setting and characters you have a few games complicating this one under the “Final Fantasy VII Compilation”. Some aren’t even RPGs.

If you go completely Final Fantasy insane after any of those, start with FF, the first one from the NES and make your way through them all. Prepare a couple thousand hours.

As others have said, the games are not sequential; while there are spinoffs and such, the mainline games are all separate. Do you like old, turn-based JRPGs, are those palatable at all? Or would you prefer something more modern and “action”-orientated? These are the kinds of questions you need to ask yourself. Beyond the older game design conventions, the earliest entries are also much lighter on narrative

This pair of videos by Final Fantasy Union and Austin Eruption will hopefully give you a clear idea of the different options available. I’d recommend just trying whatever stands out to you after the disclaimers provided during those videos.

I’d say the original 6 or 7. 7 has a feeling that 7 remake completely misses for me.

That said, many of the games that I’m not as big of a fan of have huge fanbases. But yeah. I’d go for 6 or 7.

I’ve been told by a friend who’s a SME on these things from having finished every single one (excluding 14, as it’s an MMO and you don’t really ever finish those) that FFIX is the best overall out of the series. Also, don’t play FFII, it isn’t worth your time.

The only point in the numbered series where I’d say you should play a different one first is IX, which plays on nostalgia for the aesthetics and tropes of I, III, and V as a part of the cozy vibe it’s going for with its setting. And note that VII Remake is not actually a remake of VII and thus not a part of the numbered series, being best enjoyed by people already familiar with VII.

Beyond those stipulations, play whatever looks coolest.